As it becomes possible to fit more and more circuit elements onto a single substrate, a correspondingly larger number of interconnects may need to be fabricated on the substrate to connect the circuit elements to off-substrate circuitry. Conventional interconnects are typically formed on the same side of the substrate as the circuit elements (the “frontside” of the substrate), and terminate at contact pads formed around the perimeter of the frontside of the substrate. With each increase in the number of circuit elements on a single substrate, the contact pads and interconnects typically become more crowded around the perimeter of the substrate. This may require reducing the size of the interconnects to squeeze them into the available space. The reduced interconnect size may lead to a high interconnect resistance caused by the small cross-sectional area of the interconnects.
The interconnects that connect the firing mechanisms in a printhead die to external circuitry are typically formed on the same side of the substrate as the printing fluid nozzles. Thus, these interconnects may be exposed to printing fluids during printhead use, which may degrade or damage the interconnects. Continued exposure to the printing fluids may lead to the eventual failure of the printhead.